New South Wales
ACO On The Pier - The Neilson
Sun 3 May, 4:00pm
How does that one go again? Neglected even amongst Beethoven’s even-numbered “B-side” symphonies, No. 4 in B flat can be slow to spring to mind, but the delights of this work soon come flooding back. “Masterclass” is applicable, but it’s far too much fun for that. The Watts arrangement for flute and string sextet lends a filigree of clarity to a warm and witty work.
Pre-interval also sees the AHE in miniature symphonic mode. In 2025, listeners loved the "Linz", so roll on Mozart’s prequel, the "Haffner" Symphony, K. 385, also presented in Cimador’s bite-sized arrangement.
Written in a whirlwind of deadlines, weddings and house-moving, Mozart famously forgot he’d composed it at all - only to discover it was rather good. Generations of listeners agree: it brims over with opera buffo bravura and rollicking rhythm.
Boccherini may be short on symphonies to pare down, but his predilection for extra bottom end with his string quintets always gives them an ambition beyond the chamber. There’s no shortage of his unmistakable character: from galloping caballos to a closing rondo in Turkish style.
A fourth to be reckoned with.
